WATCH: UN Security Council meets on October 7 sexual violence

11 March 2024, 9:25 pm 13 Edit

Protesters hold placards during a demonstration denouncing the South African government's silence on abuse of hostages held by Hamas, in Johannesburg on March 8, 2024. (OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

A UN Security Council meeting on sexual violence by Hamas-led terrorists has begun, with the UN’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, recounting the study’s findings.

Patten notes that the finding that sexual violence may be ongoing against those still held hostage “does not in any way legitimize further hostilities, in fact it creates a moral imperative for a humanitarian ceasefire.”

“Continuation of hostilities can in no way protect them,” she says.